As unions flex muscle and the refinery fights back, tanker drivers, consumers, lawmakers, and government scramble to avert fresh agony for Nigerians.
The storm around the Dangote Refinery refuses to ease. What began as a dispute over workers’ unionization has now snowballed into a national crisis that threatens to choke Nigeria’s economy and heap fresh hardship on citizens already crushed by inflation and fuel queues.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) on September 26 directed all its members in oil and gas companies to commence a nationwide withdrawal of services. The directive, effective from September 28, ordered a halt to control room operations, panel duties, outfield activities, and office work — a move that, if enforced, would shut down crude supply to the Dangote Refinery and cripple energy distribution across the country.
The backlash was swift. The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG slammed PENGASSAN, accusing its leadership of blackmail and “economic sabotage.” The drivers urged President Tinubu to rein in the union, stressing that Dangote Refinery remains a strategic national asset vital to jobs, livelihoods, and energy security.
In the same vein, the Concerned Nigerian Consumers Forum warned that PENGASSAN was plotting to sabotage Nigeria’s quest for energy independence. The Forum accused the union of deploying the same obstructionist tactics that crippled the nation’s public refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna. “Who benefits if the refinery fails? Certainly not Nigerians, but fuel importers and rent seekers who profit from chaos,” the Forum declared.
The House of Representatives, sensing the danger of fuel queues and nationwide disruption, stepped in with caution. Lawmakers urged both Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN to exercise restraint, emphasizing that a strike in the oil sector would not only cripple the economy but also inflict fresh suffering on citizens already groaning under hardship.
The Federal Government has now summoned both Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN to an emergency conciliation meeting in Abuja. Labour Minister Maigari Dingyadi appealed to both sides to consider the national interest, warning that an all-out strike would devastate the economy, deepen hardship, and even threaten national security. “A strike will not only lead to heavy revenue losses but also cause more hardship for Nigerians,” the ministry cautioned.
Beyond the heated exchanges lies a deeper issue: the limits of union power in Nigeria’s private sector. Across education and transport, private operators are shielded from union dominance. ASUU does not dictate to Covenant or Babcock Universities. NURTW does not order GUO or God is Good buses. NUT does not harass teachers in Chrisland or British International.
Why then should PENGASSAN hold Dangote Refinery — a $20 billion private investment designed to end fuel import dependence — hostage whenever it chooses?
Dangote insists its workforce reorganization was lawful, aimed at efficiency and security. PENGASSAN accuses the refinery of mass sackings and anti-labor practices. But whatever the merits of the dispute, the collateral damage is clear: Nigerians, once again, are being dragged toward the agony of fuel queues and soaring costs.
At its core, this confrontation is no longer about jobs at the refinery. It is about the balance between workers’ rights and national survival. If a refinery worker feels aggrieved, courts exist. Labor laws exist. Channels for redress exist. But holding Nigeria’s most strategic energy project hostage is reckless, destabilizing, and dangerous.
Tanker drivers, consumers, lawmakers, and now the Federal Government are united in one warning: Nigeria cannot afford to let this refinery fail. The people must not be made collateral damage in union turf wars or subsidy cartel battles.
For once, let unions put the nation first. Let Dangote safeguard transparency. And let the government enforce order.
Because Nigerians have had enough.
Enough of this nonsense.
